2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0T RWD Review

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0T RWD Review, To date, Alfa Romeo’s return to the U.S. has played out like a pop star’s entrance onto the scene. Initially came the flashy singles meant to garner lots of attention-in this case, the exotic 8C supercar, the 4C sports car, and also the 505-horsepower Giulia Quadrifoglio supersedan. And now Alfa is embarking on a more hard journey, fleshing out the complete discography with much more mainstream versions of your Giulia sedan that have a four-cylinder engine. Can this enticing upstart produce a identify for itself between the perennial chart toppers of your entry-luxury-sedan planet, namely the Audi A4, BMW 3-series, and Mercedes-Benz C-class?

2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0T RWD Review

What Alfa has gotten proper, it is gotten spectacularly right, starting up with all the Giulia’s seems to be. Though some might take issue with the unusually shaped-and iconic-front grille, this sedan has a perfectly proportioned physique that exudes character on the road. The rear finish, particularly, is superbly thorough, with graceful taillights wrapping throughout the haunches and also a tasteful reduce valance with dual exhaust suggestions. Our check auto, outfitted together with the Sport package and 19-inch wheels, looked virtually identical to your Quadrifoglio, with an aggressive stance, red brake calipers, and black window surrounds. The Rosso Competizione red paint produced it even more distinctive, though $2200 strikes us as a steep upcharge for that shade.

The Giulia’s dynamics also are spot-on, attaining a just about great ride/handling stability that picks up the place the BMW 3-series left off one particular generation in the past. It does not take much seat time for you to truly feel the liveliness on the Alfa’s controls, starting up with the flawlessly weighted steering rack, which has good on-center really feel, quick turn-in, and, above all, is communicative, with just the appropriate quantity of suggestions filtered via to your driver. The car or truck moves gracefully on twisty roads, the balanced excess weight distribution (we measured our rear-wheel-drive check car’s 3636-pound curb excess weight at 49.eight percent front, 50.two percent rear) which makes it easy to get into a rhythm. The only blemish on this fluidity may be the wooden, uncommunicative brake-by-wire brake pedal, which could make it difficult to come to a halt smoothly, whether or not the binders themselves delivered a competitive 163-foot quit from 70 mph.

Our test car’s wheel-and-tire bundle appeared to become a recipe for a rough rider: low-profile, Pirelli P Zero Run Flat summer tires (superior for 0.88 g to the skidpad) wrapped all over 19-inch wheels. And but the trip high quality was mainly pleasant, with only the occasional sharp impact reaching the hushed cabin. Flip the console-mounted DNA switch to D (for Dynamic) and you will come to feel elevated steering weight as well as a bit much less compliance through the adaptive dampers. Even on this sportier mode, even though, there is a button to switch just the dampers back to a softer setting in situation you obtain by yourself traversing an particularly rough stretch of pavement.

Engine Room - 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0T RWD Review

The Giulia’s turbocharged two.0-liter inline-four is much less of the standout. Although its 280 horsepower tops that of its closest German rivals, our zero-to-60-mph check consequence of 5.7 seconds trailed the 252-hp Audi A4 by 0.5 2nd as well as the 248-hp BMW 330i by 0.three. Our observed fuel-economy numbers of 21 mpg general and 32 mpg around the highway also lagged the Germans. There’s a lot of midrange grunt to be had within the Alfa, but this two.0-liter is not as smooth or as willing to rev as will be the Bimmer and Audi turbo fours. We also had been left wishing for a lot more auditory drama from this Italian, while it’s feasible that the remarkable wail on the Giulia Quadrifoglio’s 505-hp Ferrari-derived V-6 was still ringing in our ears.

A ZF eight-speed automatic transmission is common gear on all U.S.-market Giulias. Substantial, metal paddle shifters, shared with all the Quadrifoglio, are satisfying to utilize when driving difficult, but their size and placement could make it inconvenient to achieve the turn-signal and wiper stalks. It’s also disappointing that such an engaging auto lacks a manual-transmission option. The 3-series, the A4, along with the Cadillac ATS present three-pedal setups, plus the Giulia’s auto-only lineup strikes us as being a missed chance to more entice the sort of folks-enthusiasts-who could become brand advocates.

Inconsistent Inside - 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0T RWD Review

Alfa Romeo has some ground to cover to catch up to the class-leading interiors from Mercedes-Benz and Audi. The Giulia’s dashboard layout is pleasing to look at, with interesting gauges and an infotainment screen that’s nicely integrated in to the dash. But there are several unpleasant and cheap-feeling plastics surrounding the shifter and on the door panels. Other information left us scratching our heads, just like the tiny sun visors, the minuscule center console, as well as the significant plastic panel on the base on the center stack that would seem like a waste of room provided that it accommodates only a single USB port.

Not less than Alfa sweated above the supportive front seats with adjustable bolsters and thigh supports and in addition the thin-rimmed, flat-bottom steering wheel that is a joy to hold. Rear-seat space is about typical for this class, currently being far more accommodating compared to the Jaguar XE plus the ATS but less spacious than the commodious 3-series and A4. Easy-to-fold rear seatbacks having a useful 40/20/40 split add a measure of practicality.

Using a sticker of $51,990, our well-equipped, rear-wheel-drive Giulia Ti fell suitable in line together with the pricing of its German competitors. Take out the number of solutions we could do with out, which includes the aforementioned $2200 red paint, the panoramic sunroof for $1350, and also the Harman/Kardon audio procedure for $900, and you finish up very well underneath $50,000. Our check car’s other options-including the $2250 19-inch Sport package deal, the $1200 Effectiveness bundle (using a limited-slip differential, adaptive dampers, and aluminum paddle shifters), $950 for an eight.8-inch infotainment screen with navigation, in addition to a pair of active-safety packages for a total of $2150-seemed definitely worth the cost for what they add towards the Giulia’s appeal.

Holding Up - 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia 2.0T RWD Review

By now you are likely wanting to know concerning the Giulia’s make high quality, prolonged a pain in the side of all Italian autos. Our test car undoubtedly had several foibles, which include a sunroof that referred to as it quits and a Bluetooth process that had problems retaining a consistent connection using a paired phone-and we had the auto for only a week. Long-term sturdiness stays a big query mark, and Alfa’s status does not instill a great deal self-assurance.

This early on in Alfa Romeo’s revived job, then, it is tough to contact the Giulia a star. But what Alfa’s album might lack in manufacturing quality, it helps make up for with its enthralling, lively, and distinctive character. Whether you are speaking about the slam-dunk design or even the wonderful handling, the Giulia has piqued our curiosity, and we’re listening attentively.